Human beings are predisposed to group themselves into communities often on arbitrary basis’ (such as sports teams) to foster a sense of belonging. This is a beneficial trait that allows for a sense of self within a community, which is integral to the mental wellbeing of humans. Since “Ingroups” are created by groups of people who hold a shared belief or characteristic (ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation etc.), there is typically a group who holds an alternate, if not completely opposite belief. Strict adherence to “Ingroup” and “Outgroup” distinctions can lead to the dehumanization of the perceived “Outgroup” and cause serious rifts if the two groups reside in a single society. This is evidently seen in the conversation between communities …show more content…
of faith and communities of science when the lines of their groups reach a point of contention such as how Earth came to be (ie. Intelligent Design vs. Evolution). In order to foster a larger sense of community, defined by similarities and opposed to adversity, there must be a shift in the perception of adherence to strict “Ingroup” and “Outgroup” distinctions, a conversational movement away from ideologically charged war terms that enhance the rift between groups, and an increased effort by both groups to place themselves within the mindset of “the Other”. The term “Ingroup” refers to a collective group of individuals that share a key interest or identity which is defining for that group. An “Outgroup” is a compilation of the remaining individuals that lack the interest or identity of the “Ingroup”. When comparing two “Ingroups”, whichever group is the acting group (the group created in affirmation, not opposition) becomes the “Ingroup” and the subsequent group becomes the “Outgroup”. A point of contention (or stress point) is a concept, belief, or idea on which two Ingroups are diametrically opposed. Each ingroup takes a singular stance on this topic which does not waver, and is typically a defining tenet of that belief system. In the terms of this paper our two “Ingroups” are that of the broad groups of “Faith” and “Science”. The Ingroup of Faith will be defined as people who claim one of the three monotheist religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) as a defining factor of their perception of the world. The Ingroup of Science will be defined as people who claim Scientific exploration and investigation as a defining factor of their perception of the world. Within these two groups there is a significant cross over (people who would define themselves as Scientific thinkers and People of Faith). It is important to note the complexity of the human identity.
Each individual is a part of many “Ingroups”, each Ingroup has a place in the hierarchy of a person’s identity. Individual “Ingroups” might change over time, as well as which ones are ultimate on their list of “Ingroups”. Should a person share all of your “Ingroups” except your most important, self-defining “Ingroup”, their lack of that distinction becomes a primary factor in how you and the now “other” interact. Some Ingroup distinctions are so integral to a person’s identity that the lack thereof within another individual completely reshapes the view of the individual. This is exemplified in the stigma placed on individuals who do not believe in Evolution. Within the scientifically minded West, a high moral authority has been placed on scientific thought and postulation. The esteem is so great that a belief in Evolution is attached to the perceived intelligence of an individual as a whole in the eyes of the public. Should a person not believe in evolution, through the negative social stigma that carries, they are deprived of the ability to contribute to academic scientific thought by the scientific community and the public they service. This interaction can happen within an individual, between two individuals, or on a grand scale between two encompassing …show more content…
“Ingroups”. By being a part of an “Ingroup”, individuals begin to view their “Ingroup” as the correct option in a vast sea of options. When the beliefs of that Ingroup, the Ingroup that is defining in a persons identity, are challenged by another Ingroups values, there rises a struggle for the support of the general public. Religion and Science challenge the way the other views the world on a macro scale that, due to the public place each community shares in the overall society, has created a large and polarized competition. A desire to be successful as a unit is not an intrinsically negative thing. In many Westernized societies, this drive is simply an economical reality of the world in which we all take part. The problem lies in the treatment of others who hold opposite opinions during the evangelical efforts of both Ingroup. When studying Ingroup/Outgroup biases and relations as a whole, it was found that individuals, when asked to attribute adjectives to people within their “Ingroup” and outside their “Ingroup”, the adjectives attributed to the members of their “Ingroup” were intrinsically human. This effect was universal for people from all different “Ingroups”. Specifically, when studying the way people view the homeless, it was found that those who were not homeless attributed adjectives that are used for inanimate objects (Zori). Winchester (et. all) “argue that if people are biased toward favoring their own group and are prone to essentializing groups, then people should choose the best essence (i.e., the human essence) for their own group.” Essentially, by distinguishing themselves as “other than homeless”, they thingified other human beings. To thingify an individual is to deprive them of human essence and impose less than human attributes onto them. This can look like actually ascribing inanimate object status to humans or acting as if they are less than human, attributing animalistic or simplistic paradigms to them. Thingifying is diminishing the agency an individual has in life and in a conversation. The thingifying of others increases the ease with which we can discount or credit their opinions. Being completely dismissive of thoughts of people from either of the Ingroups of Faith and Science because they are from the opposing Ingroup is a direct act of thingification. The belief that people who do not share your way of thinking as defined by your Ingroup are incapable of being able to produce valuable insights into the world around you is not only the height of hubris, but also illogical. By diminishing the humans capacity for intelligence and creativity to a singular concept and version of reality, the thingified cease to have an essence of humanity and the person thingifying ceases to participate in a conversation at all. Thingifying people gives way to serious hinderances in the pursuit of empathetic and productive conversations between “Ingroups”. The first step in understanding conflicts and combatting the internal bias/dislike of other groups within “Ingroups” is understanding yourself to be a part of “Ingroups”, which makes you predisposed to being adversarial against the world full of "Other".
Humans see the world through many ideological lenses. These ideological lenses come from a shared hierarchy of value held by a group of people. However, these ideological lenses can be changed and superseded by other ideologies. This is seen in an experiment which asked individuals to look at images of people from many ethnic backgrounds. The examiners were viewing areas of the brain that lit up when viewing people of their same ethnicity in comparison to those who are from a different ethnic background. Not surprisingly, areas showing pleasure were active when viewing people from their own respective “Ingroup”. Now, the second time the researchers showed the same pictures of the same people with one key difference, each person was now wearing a piece of sports team paraphernalia. This time the areas of the brain that indicate pleasure lit up only when a person who shared their own sports team flashed on the screen. This shows us that humans not only sort individuals immediately based on the information they have on a basis of “Like me” or “Not Like Me”, but also that those lines which define Like and Not Like are fluid. When examining different aspects of an individual, a person who was once “Other” can quickly become
same.
person’s idea of who they are are directly affected by the groups they’re in. When they
Images have been used for a long time to spark propaganda around the world. The licenses and campaign posters legitimize hatred because they made assumptions that caused the Japanese to be viewed as uncivilized, notorious, villains to the United States. Those characteristics being applied to the Japanese made them hated by the Americans. The licenses basically gave Americans free range to harm the Japanese-Americans people, regardless of being a legitimate United States citizen, or not. Licenses were issued to Americans to allow them to target and hunt down the Japanese as if they were animals. Japanese-American citizens probably felt humiliated by the slander applied to their race. The Japanese would have also felt a sense of fear for their
The inherent desire to belong to a group is one that is fundamental to human nature. In his article “Evolution and Our Inner Conflict,” Edward O. Wilson writes, “A person’s membership in his group – his tribe – is a large part of his identity.” Wilson explores multilevel group selection and the proclivity for people to define themselves based on their belonging to the group. He goes on to say that people often form these groups with those who look like them and belong to the same culture or ethnic group. In the novels Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko and The Puttermesser Papers by Cynthia Ozick, the identities of the protagonist are predominantly shaped by the ethnicities and heritages that they identify with.
Social justice has influence change in policies for the mentally ill. Opening the doors for political reform. Throughout history, the treatment of the mentally ill has taken many shapes. Influence by the time periods core values and ideas of social justice. Before the colonization, society did not see the mentally ill as human beings. This ideology was Influence by religion that considered them to be evil or demons. Especially during the Black Death when people were only looking for escape goats. Day, & Schiele, (2013) This would only make things worse for mentally disabled. Rendering them defenseless and at the will of society. Their disabling conditions would prevent them from self-advocacy. They would have to depend on family members to advocate; and demand social justice for them. The overwhelming societal norms influence by religion and fueled by fear punishment appeared to be the only solution.
In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.
Ethnicity is a self-defined social construct; it is a shared sense of belonging to a social group (Scheppers et al. 2005). Ethnic minority groups are individuals within a soci...
Much of the research on false consensus has demonstrated that people tend to over project how many members of their in-group are likely to share their attitudes and behaviors. This effect diminishes when comparing to an out-group. It is thought that this occurs because people feel that people who they do not consider to share a group identity with will likely have different basic attitudes and behaviors than they.
From the beginning of recorded history, possibly before then, humans have found a necessity for classifying and categorizing every aspect of life. This need for order has been used to efficiently organize and clarify the endless details on Earth. This arrangement of objects in groups has also created a very sinister and volatile mindset that some people live by. This associative manner of classification has lead to the formation of beliefs in race identities, stereotypes, and superiority in the form of racism. Racism is contempt for people who have physical characteristics different from your own (Nanda and Warms 1). This concept is often combined with what is called racialism. Racialism is an ideology based on the following suppositions: There are biologically fixed races; different races have different moral, intellectual, and physical characteristics (Nanda and Warms 1). This is the ideal that many people engage in consciously and the way some people think without even realizing it. The only way to overcome this derogatory belief system is to define the meanings and misunderstandings of racial differences.
Social comparison and positive distinctiveness. Our social identity contributes to our self-image so we look for positive social identities to keep a high self-esteem. Comparing in groups and out groups allows us to enhance superiority of a group. The Social identity theory explains that the in group will discriminate against the out group to en...
More focus into the ethnic groups is just another racial grouping on a different perspective. The increased competition for ethnic identity among ethnic groups is posing as a rediscovery of racial groups, in which ethnic groups are termed as majority or minority groups. However, the shift to ethnic group has shaped some characteristics of individuals that were previously coined in social differentiation according to race. One of the noticeable individual features that have been shaped is the aspect of mutual and collective interests, in which every member strives to protect common interests of the group e.g. human rights. I believe that racial and ethnic groups are things that will continue to exist from our past historical experiences. We can together wipe out the problem of discrimination and injustices based on ethnicity and racial differences, if we all strive towards cherishing social consciousness for one another as a one human race and freeing ourselves from the trappings of our racial and ethnic
By comparing ourselves with other people we categorize and label those who are similar to us as the in-group and people who differ from our-self are categorized as the out-group (Duff & Peace, 2012). We act in ways to favor our in-group rather than out group, this is called in-group favoritism. In-groups and out-groups are evident in many social environments, for example, children form groups with those who like playing similar games to them. In a study that explains in-group favoritism, an experiment was conducted by allocating individuals into groups based on the result of a coin flip (Billing & Tajfel, 1973). After having been told their group members, the participants then had to allocate points to members of their own group (‘in-group’) and to the members of the other group (‘out-group’). These members of the in-group ...
THESIS: Scientists and other intellectuals recognize the modern concept of "race" as an artificial category that developed over the past five centuries due to encounters with non-European people. Even though people still attempt to organize humans into categories according to their race, these categories have been shown to have no scientific basis.
Unfortunately, I have grown up around an extended family who maintains a “tendency to characterize all members of a particular group as having certain characteristics in common” (Nevid, 2015, p. 447). Nonetheless, as the years have passed my parents have begun leaving
In the past when you are sure you know something to be true, this book will take what you know and turn it upside down and into something you never expected to be true. This book explains many social concepts that we use on a daily basis: It discusses why we can so easily judge entire races and discriminate them based on one news article. It’s rather simple actually, it’s because we are disconnected from them. We don’t see them on a day to day basis so we don’t realize that they are just like we are, they’re people. This book also explains how to be a better mind reader than you currently are and the statistics behind the research.
Everyone is a part of a community. Most people are a part of multiple communities. A community is a group of people that have a commonality. Sometimes it is based on where you live, hobbies, goals, etc. I believe that communities are created unconsciously and are connected to someone’s identity, especially when a person is considered a part of multiple communities. Sometimes, a person may connect very well with their community. Sometimes, a person may feel very distant from their community. In the movie, “English Vinglish”, the main character, Sashi, shows examples on how communities are created through commonalities, and the acculturation theory. Sashi was a part of multiple communities. A few communities included her, her Daughter’s school,